Firefighters rescue teen trapped 350 feet inside cave

Firefighters secured the girl with a harness after she became stuck while on a school field trip

By Kelsey Bradshaw
San Antonio Express-News

SAN ANTONIO — Emergency personnel worked through the night to rescue a teenage girl from Robber Baron Cave after she became trapped there during a school field trip Thursday afternoon.

The San Antonio Fire Department first received a call that someone was stuck in the cave, located on the city's North Side, around 2:40 p.m., said Joe Arrington, public information officer for SAFD. By that point, the 18-year-old had been stuck for an hour, he said.

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Firefighters pulled her out around 11:45 p.m. and she was transferred to San Antonio Military Medical Center for treatment.

She became lodged in an area called the "Hole in the Floor" 350 feet into the cave. The area has a "narrow circular opening that you have to pass through," Arrington said. The 18-year-old, who attends Robert E. Lee High School, has not suffered any injuries, he said, adding her arms and feet are not trapped while her torso is stuck.

She was hooked up to an IV while the rescue team attempted to free her, he said.

At p.m., SAFD Chief Charles Hood said firefighters built a support beneath the teen to help lift her out of the opening.

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